The rain has been falling steadily from noon till night.
At first, it was just a gentle drizzle, but gradually it intensified, pattering on the windowsill as if playing a melody.
The moisture in the atmosphere is limited, after this rain, there might not be a storm for several days.
When they returned home, Lupin said to Vid, "I hope you aren't too disappointed, Vid."
"James and his friends decided to learn Animagus starting from the second year and succeeded only in the fifth year. It's usually like that—years or even decades of effort before taking the step."
"Compared to them, you're already quite fast. Maybe just wait a few weeks for the most suitable time."
"By then, your preparations will surely be more thorough than they are now."
Seeing concern in Lupin's eyes, Vid smiled and said, "I understand. I was prepared to fail several times... What's more, I haven't failed yet, just need to keep waiting, right?"
Lupin smiled with relief, "Of course... Don't forget the spell at sunset."
"I understand."
Vid read a book in the study for a while, and when he realized he hadn't turned a page for quite some time, the alarm suddenly sounded sharply.
He reached over to silence the alarm, pointing the tip of his wand at his heart, and murmured, "Armando, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
"Boom!"
A powerful heartbeat responded to his spell within his chest, like a creature impatiently wanting to break free and emerge.
Vid turned his head to see slender raindrops trailing down the glass, tracing intersecting paths, quickly replaced by new ones.
He didn't feel very disappointed, as he had told Lupin—he was ready to work hard for two or three years.
Failing a few times with the Mandrake steps is less, even six or seven times isn't much... But he nearly succeeded on his first try.
Reciting the spell is a sustained and lengthy process. If you pass out or oversleep, you might have to start all over again.
But he strictly adhered to his set schedule, never missing a single moment.
However, the closer he got to success, the longer the wait felt. He knew the storm would eventually come, but every minute and second before that seemed stretched.
Vid simply poured himself a small cup of Butter Beer alcohol version and drank it all.
Generally speaking, such a weak alcohol content would only cause a House-Elf type of creature to get drunk.
The bitter taste of beer and the creamy aroma entwined in his throat, followed by a slight spiciness and a more complex fragrance.
Vid seemed to understand why some people might enjoy drinking this golden beverage.
He only felt slightly dizzy, things around him seemed to become lightweight, and his mood lifted significantly. Vid restrained the thought of "one more cup" and lay down on his bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin.
"Sleep."
He told himself.
"I have to wake up before sunrise tomorrow morning!"
...
Vid didn't realize he was dreaming.
He was flying in the sky, ethereal white clouds floated by, the castle of Hogwarts became far, far away, yet the moon and stars became very close.
The huge full moon was bright like a lake, suspended above, emitting radiant light.
Countless starlights accompanied him, upon closer look, they were actually spherical, cratered rocks, some shimmering with a metallic shine.
Dreaming Vid suddenly felt puzzled—weren't most stars supposed to be fixed stars?
His brain immediately provided him an answer: he was flying through the asteroid belt in the Solar System.
A large, dark gray planet quietly sailed past Vid. It completely blocked the moon, obscuring almost the entire view.
Such a colossal object naturally made one feel small and fearful, and simultaneously, its name popped into his mind—
Ceres.
The largest asteroid in the Solar System.
Vid instinctively wanted to distance himself from it, but suddenly realized, Ceres's gravity was pulling him in.
Leaving became difficult, as he struggled to fly outward, surrounding meteorites shot toward him like bullets!
Vid quickly dodged, yet some fist-sized stones struck him, shaking the entire world!
He suddenly opened his eyes, Lupin was shaking his shoulder vigorously.
"Vid, wake up! The storm is here!"
As he spoke, lightning spread across the sky, abruptly illuminating the dim room like daylight!
The light flashed out in an instant, several seconds later, the thunder rumbling approached from afar.
Vid's groggy brain immediately cleared, he jumped out of bed, thankful he forgot to change clothes before sleeping, now he grabbed a coat and followed Lupin downstairs.
With a bang, Vid's bedroom window swung open, pouring rain immediately washed inside, along with a dark silhouette.
"Don't waste any time!" Sirius shouted, "We don't know how long the storm will last, let's fly over!"
In the thunder, his voice was somewhat unclear, but both saw the Flying Broomstick in his hand.
Vid grabbed one at random, jumped on, and flew directly out the window, landing on the ground a second later. When lightning again streaked across the sky, he dashed into the cellar, seeking the Crystal Bottle hidden here beforehand.
The transparent bottle contained blood-red Magic Potion, refracting vivid light, only a mouthful amount inside.
"Alright, everything is ready, let's go!"
Sirius loudly said, "Vid, follow me closely!"
Three Flying Broomsticks whizzed out like swifts battling the storm.
Sirius led, Vid in the middle, Lupin closely behind, forming a line through the rain curtain, slowing speed as they entered the forest.
Under the lightning's illumination, Sirius identified the entrance and exit he left before, the three shot like arrows, landing on the wet grass.
Vid leapt off the broom, glanced at the other two, hesitated not, aimed his wand at his heart, once again recited the spell—
"Armando, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
Afterwards, he uncorked it, tilted his head, and drank the Magic Potion.
Severe pain immediately swept through his body, muscles seemed to melt, every bone felt like being shattered and reshaped, skin prickled densely as if thousands, millions of steel needles wanted to emerge from the flesh.
His limbs began twisting, transforming, his head shrunk rapidly, the body accompanying in peculiar changes, as if merging with his clothes...
Meanwhile, a creature's image surfaced in his mind. Vid unhesitatingly lunged forward, allowing magic power to respond naturally to some call.
The black-haired youth seemed to melt in an instant.
A blue-tinged raptor flapped its wings, vanishing from the spot in an instant!